February 6, 2009 · 10:08 pm

Some handmade books – 1

I am inviting people to a Green Challenge of making a handmade book that has big envelopes or plastic sleeves to hold their sketches, notes, clippings, pdf’s etc.

See: Challenge posting

Just for fun, I thought that I would post a few pics of some of the handmade books I’ve made over the years:

Here are some handmade books that I made and then glued origami angels to. (yes, I made the angels)

The angels are all very eco friendly and ‘green’ as they are recycled and upcycled, as they are all made from junk mail or magazine photos

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I’ll post more pics soon.

All images are copyright protected and not to be copied without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission

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February 5, 2009 · 6:45 pm

Hand made GREEN book Challenge

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On the Spool knitting group on yahoo, we’ve been talking about paper vs pdf patterns.

Several of the clever women there have said that they print out their pdf’s, slip them into plastic sleeves and pop them into a binder.  The patterns never get lost that way.

WELL! That has inspired me!

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I LOVE making journals, notebooks, sketchbooks  etc. that are one of a kind, eco friendly and oh so artsy.

So….. why not make your own book to store your pdf’s and loose patterns?

You could make 2 covers from cardboard or plywood or veneer or chipboard or somthing else, and then decorate them any way that you wanted to.

Then- spool knit, or tat or crochet or braid or kumihimo or  use any other method of making a cord.

Use the cords to hold your pdf book together….

And, if you didn’t want to use plastic sleeves, you could punch holes in large envelopes, label them, and store your pdf’s and pattern bits and pieces in there….

And, Voial! your pdf’s, notes, sketches, clippings  and patterns won’t ever get lost!     Yay!

SO  HERE’S THE CHALLENGE:

MAKE A BOOK

THAT IS PERFECT FOR STORING YOUR PDF AND OTHER LOOSE PATTERNS

THIS IS A GREEN CHALLENGE,

MAKE 2 COVERS  FROM SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE RECYCLING, RECLAIMING OR UPCYCLING,

AND DECORATE THEM ANY WAY YOU WANT:

USE PHOTOS, PAINT, WEAVING, FLAT DOLLS, TATTING, CROCHET, STITCHERY, DRAWING, WHATEVER….

A N D !

THE BOOK HAS TO BE BOUND WITH HANDMADE CORDS

Take pics and post them to your blog

or wherever you post your pics

and then send me a link

so we can all be inspired and admire.

Who is the challenge open to?

ANYONE.  Everyone….

Any crafter who loves making recycled and reclaimed and upcycled stuff.

People who like making books.

People who have never made a book.

This challenge is  for spool knitters, tatters, scrapbookers, weavers, crocheters, yarnies and crafters in general .

Show us how  it works for you to store your pdf’s, clippings and loose sketches, notes and patterns….

There should be a prize, shouldn’t there?

Okay…. I’ll work on something special for the winner… not telling what, yet.

The challenge STARTS NOW

and is open ended,

but I will award a prize on APRIL 22,

because that’s EARTH DAY

okay everyone…. get to work!

I have posted pics of some of the handmade books I’ve made over the years –

Here are the links to: Books with Origami Angels

images and text on this blog are copyright protected

so please don’t copy them without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission.

Thanks

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February 3, 2009 · 6:38 pm

What do yarnies want from indie designers?

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Last night, I was the guest on Mary Beth Temple’s blogradio show: Getting Loopy.

I took advantage of being in direct communication with the listeners by asking them 2 questions:

1]  Do you prefer downloadable PDF patterns or paper patterns and books that are mailed to (but that you have to pay the postage for)?

and

2] Do you prefer to buy patterns individually or as a group or compilation?

Mary Beth has expanded on my questions and has made a survey up, and is even offering a cone of Lion Brand’s new Wool Stainless Steel as a prize for people who answer the survey.

Here’s the link to her survey:    ?

We REALLY do want to know what you want, so we really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to answer our questions!

Thanks so much and good luck in the draw.

Lion Brand’s Wool Stainless Steel yarn is neat (and no, it’s not like a pot scrubber or wire. The stainless steel is  the finest of fine filaments. It’s not wirey, but does have memory.)

Image is by Noreen Crone-Findlay and is copyright. (yup, that’s spool knitting and a spool knitter)

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January 28, 2009 · 11:19 pm

Wild and Woolie Spool knitted doll

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Every once in awhile,   a little wild woolieness ought to come into a Yarnie’s life.

So, I have designed this Wild and Woolie Spool knitted doll.  I used hand spun yarn to make it, but any yarn that makes your heart sing would work well.

All together now, let’s sing: Wild Thing! I think I love you!

LOL!

I’ve got her pattern listed etsy shop now: Wild Thing

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

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January 28, 2009 · 6:14 am

Lily is back!

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I am so pleased!

One of my most favorite dolls of all the thousands of dolls that I have designed, is ‘Lily’.

Somehow, I managed to loose the file that had her pattern in it, and oops, had sold all my paper copies of her pattern.

Oh my word!

It’s been driving me nuts that I couldn’t find her file, so I spent most of the day searching through all my files. whew.

I was THRILLED when I found her file!

So, I set to work on rebuilding it, as it was an earlier version, and now I have created a pdf of her pattern.

Whee hah!  My darlin’ Lily is back in town! woohoo!

I’ve put her on my website. You can see her at:

Noreen’s Dolls

wheeeeeeeeeee

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

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January 22, 2009 · 6:38 am

Writing, still writing

I wrote my first book when I was in Grade 2.

I started by writing my version of a fairy tale, and my teacher liked it.

She said that she would give me more paper if I wanted to tell more of the story.

Oh oh…. I was already addicted to a passion for paper, and my greedy little heart went: ooooooooooooooh! paper…. more paper……….. yummmmmmmmmmmmm……

So, I would write and write my story, and she would dole out more delicious sheets of luscious white paper with those enticing blue lines…….. ah………. paradise…….

I have no idea what happened to that big fat pile of story pages. But, the passion for writing books has never left me.

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I still write everything out by hand before I type it into my computer.

Over the last few months, since I left ‘hankering for yarn’, it may look like I have stopped writing.

Au contraire! I have been designing and working and writing ‘full immersion’ on new books.

I’ve just released ‘Rosie Recycle’, and am now working hard on more books….

and loving every minute of it.

I think my Grade 2 teacher would be pleased….  😀

So, if it looks like I have abandoned writing, please be patient with me.  I haven’t- it’s just pouring out into books instead of into blogs.

Pass the paper, please, I need to write some more……

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January 10, 2009 · 11:31 pm

Rosie Recycle is done and ready to go!

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I am so excited!
I have finally finished The Rosie Recycle Doll Book!

http://www.crone-findlay.com/Crone-FindlayCreationsWhatsNew.html

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Rosie Recyle dolls are charming little one of a kind dolls that are
an inspiration to ‘go green’, and become a thrifty ‘eco crafter’.

Combine your stash of scraps of yarn & embroidery floss
with colorful bits of junk mail, old magazines
and packaging to create enchanting & unique little
Rosie Recycle Dolls.

The book includes instructions and patterns for
* Knitted Rosie Recycle Dolls
*Crocheted Rosie Recycle Dolls
* Spool knitted Rosie Recycle Dolls
*Rosie Recycle Dolls with ribbon or lace scrap skirts.

The completed Rosie Recycle dolls
are approximately 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall.

They have pins on the back of their heads, so they can dance from
your hat, bag, lapel, curtain, inspiration or bulletin board.
They’re also great for scrapbooking, too…..

The Rosie Recycle booklet is 48 pages, and is full color.
It’s 5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches- so easy to slip into your tote bag!

I am doing the big time happy happy happy dance….

and Tottie Tomato thinks that Rosie Recyle is pretty darned wonderful, too!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright



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January 7, 2009 · 2:43 am

Mapping the layout for new book

I have been working sooooooooooo hard on a new little book.

😀

The process has been really intense, because, as well as designing and making the dolls for the book, I have been learning a whole lotta new software and systems. Oh MY!

The book is called: Rosie Recycle Pin Dolls : Thrifty Little Dolls to Crochet or Knit And Spool Knit.

The dolls are adorable and I am very excited….

I’m getting close to being able to release it…. just working on finishing up the layout of the book….

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The process of figuring out where each page goes and how it gets there is a complicated one….

I ended up making little mockups that I could zing back and forth in and then map out the whole works.

Each page  ended up with 7 codes, telling me something that I needed to know for the pages.

Lotsa lotsa work….. and so worth it!

I have been working so hard on the book that I haven’t been keeping up with blogging.

I will blog a bit more about the process…..

until then…. it’s back to work on it, for me.

PS:  The book is done! Hurrah!

You can see some of the dolls in the book at:
http://www.crone-findlay.com/Crone-FindlayCreationsGallery.html

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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December 31, 2008 · 4:37 am

Inkle Loom Dimensions

Recently, someone asked me about the dimensions of my inkle loom.

So, I’ve taken pictures of my loom and measured it, in hopes that this helps her husband in building her inkle loom.

My husband built mine from reclaimed wood from pallets, and it’s VERY hard wood.

You need hardwood for an inkle loom, as you put so much pressure on it.

I have woven everything from rugs to garments to bags to bookmarks on this loom. I love it.

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I am not alone in loving my inkle loom…. my cats LOVE to help me warp it!

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All images and content on this blog are copyright and not to be reproduced without permission.

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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December 24, 2008 · 12:13 am

Weaving Words

I love weaving words into inkle woven bands.

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In this picture, Tottie Tomato is wrapped in the words of Dame Julian of Norwich’s prayer:

And all shall be well

and all shall be well

and all manner of things shall be well…

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I love this prayer and say it allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the time……….

To pay homage to Dame Julian and her wonderful prayer,  I wove the bands that I used to shape her body (and her banner) on my inkle loom. I crocheted her hands and head, and wove the remainder of the elements of the sculpture on various other small looms.

I use a simple pickup technique for weaving words.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I think I should put ‘do a video of  weaving words’ on my to do list!

The images in this blog entry are copyright and not to be used by anyone else for anything else….

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